Inflatable playing ball and bladder therefor



Nov. 1'8, 1930. J. R. DENKERT 1,782,198

xNFLATABpE PLAYING BALL AND BLADDER THEREFOR Filed, Jan. 25, 1930 Patented Nov. I8, 1930` UNITE-D STATES PATENT oFFiE ,[NFLATABLE PLAYING BALL AND BLADDER THEREFOB Application fixed January as, isso. sei-iai no. 425,307.

M invention consists in the novel features v hereinafter described, reference being had to the accom anying drawing which illustrates one embodiment of my invention selected by me for purposes of illustration,

and the said invention is fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

My invention relates to an inflatable playin ball comprising an exterior cover and an features whereby the valve mechanism is secured to the inflatable bladder, and the inflatable bladder permanently secured to the cover in operative relation to a minute inflating aperturey therein.

In the construction of such pla ing balls, which are used in playing foot all, hand ball, and other ames, it is desirable that the bladder should be capable of inflation through a minute aperture only large enough to receive the nozzle of a small air pump, and that the bladder shall be rigidly connected with the cover so 'as to maintain it at all times in proper relation to the cover when inco-axial relation with the minute hole in the cover. It is also necessary that the valve sleeve, which is ordinarily constructed of metal, and provided with a dust cap or closure, should be held at such apoint below the exterior surface of the cover thatvit will not strike the ground or any art of the bodies ofthe layers, while at t e same time it is highly im ortant that the resiliency of that portion o the ball immediately adjacent to the metallic valve mechanism should have substantially the saine resiliency as, other portions of the ball, in order not to prevent an abnormal rebound 'of the ball when this portion of it strikes the ground or other object.

In. carrying out my present invention, I provide the elastic bladder, which is usually formed of ruY bei' valve enclosing sleeve,dpreferably made integral with or vulcanize and containin the usual metallic valve sleeve and valve. The enclosin sleeve projects beyond the adj acent'wall o the bladder, forming a neck which terminates in an `integral 50 transversely disposed attaching and cushionin atable bladder, and consists in the novelv lated,` and to hold the valve mechanism in 111 bber 'sheet material, with a rubto the bladder,

saddle vulcanized thereto.

ing disc, preferably provided with stitch re'- ceiving apertures, y means of which it may be directly and permanently attached to the cover, so as to hold the valve co-axially with the minute iniiating a erture. The outer 5: face of the disc is provi ed with a recess col axial with the valve sleeve which sleeve terminates at its upper end adjacent to the bottom of the recess, this recess providing room for the dust cap or closureandholdso ing it belowthe surface of the ball.

When the bladderis inflated, it will be forced into contact with the neck portion of the enclosing sleeve and into contact with the inner face and marginal edges of the attache5 ing means for permanentlysecuring the bladder to the cover, and also providing a body of rubber surrounding-the outer end of the valve sleeve and interposed between the bladder and the cover for some little distance around tlievalve sleeve, and thussubstantially equalizing the resilience of the portion of the ball adjacent to the metallic valve with other ortions, so as to insure the true bounco the ball' when struck ad'acent to the 75 va ve, while obviously the blad er can be iniiated or deflated through the minute opening, provided in the cover and without disturbing any laced portion with which the ball may be provided. Y

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of my invention selected by me for purposes of illustration,

Fig. 1 represents a foot ball embodying the invention and partly broken away to 35 show in section the position of the parts adjacent to the valve mechanism when the bladder is fully inflated.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of `a portion of the cover and bladder adjacent to the valve mechanism,showing the bladder deiiated.

Fi 3 is an elevation showing the enclosing s eeve and valve sleeve detached. l

Fig. 4 is a sectional View illustrating a 95 mold which I conveniently employ in the formation of the enclosing sleeve.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the sleeve and valve provided withl the usual reinforce or i ing s eeve looking downward upon theupper face of the disc. y

Fig. 7 is a view partly in section, showlng a sli ht modification of the enclosing sleeve.

eferring to the drawings, 1 represents the outer cover of the ball formed preferably of leather segments stitched together in any usual or referred manner. he cover may be provi ed with the usual hand aperture or slit, A indicated at 2, between adjacent segments, the edges of which are drawn together by lacings, 3, or secured in any other desired manner. The, -cover is also provided with a minute inflating aperture, indicatedy at 4, preferably located at a distance from the hand aperture, where that is provided, and being only of such size as to permit the insertion of the exteriorly threaded nozzle of a small air pum such as a hand bicycle pump, or other suita le device. The main body of the bladder, which is indicated at 5, is of any usual or preferred construction, and is provided at one point with a valve opening, indicated at -6 in Fig. 2., I prefer to employ a valve mechanism somewhat similar to the well known Schrader valve, comprising a valve casing, indicated lat 7, and the usual interior valve mechanisni, the details of which have no bearing on my present invention'.

As a matter of fact, any usual or preferred form of valve mechanism so constituted may be employed. The valve casing, 7, is provided at its up ery end with tl e usual interiorly threadedp orton, 7, to receive the usual closureor ust cap, 8, but the exterior portion of the valve is preferably unthreaded as shown, although the valve casing may be provided on its `uter surface with projecting portions, as indicated at 7 b, to form a more secure bond with the enclosing sleeve. 10 represents the enclosing sleeve, which is preferably molded around the valve sleeve, and has a portion extending within and a portion projecting' from the bladder. This outer projecting portion forms a neck, 11, terminating at its outer end in the attaching and cushionin disc, 12, which is preferably circular, but w ich may be of any other desired shape, and is preferably of greater thickness.than the wall of the cover, 1. The upper face of the disc is provided with an'annular recess, indicated at 13, to accommodate the dust cap, the outer wall -of the recess flaring somewhat, to facilitate the removal of the cap, so that the outer end of this recess is slightly larger in diameter than the inflating a erture, 4, in the cover. The valve casing, 7 has its upper end located at substantially the bottom of the recess, 13, as shown, and the disc, 12, is preferably provided with stitch receiving apertures, indicated at 14, to facilitate securing the ldisc to the cover by means of stitches, indicated at 15, of any suitable material.

In Fig. 4, I have shown a convenient form of mold whereb thev enclosing sleeve can be` molded and vu canized u n the `valve casan upper member, 16, having an aperture,

'- 17 therein, to recelve a pin, 18, havingat itslower end a threaded portion,'19, which can be screwedinto the interiorly threaded por tion ofthe valve casin 7, so as to hold the' valve casing in axial a nment with the recessed portions of the'mo d andA in roper relationto the enclosing sleeve whic is to be formed thereon. The lower mold member is indicated at 20, and this member is provided conveniently with pins, indicated at 21, having portions, 22, projecting into the portion of the recess in theupper mold member, cox-,

responding with the attaching and cushioning disc, 12, so as to form the apertures, 14, therein. The rubber stock is fed to the mold and molded and vulcanized therein around the Avalve casing, 7, 1n the usual manner, and as clearly indicated in Fig. 4, thus ermanently attaching the valve casingy wit in the enclosing sleeve. The enclosing sleeve and valve casing are shown in Fig. 3 as they would appearwhen removed from the mold. I prefer to provide the attachin sleeve with the usual reinforcing flap or s dle, indicated at 23. While this art could be molded integrally with the s eeve, it will usually be more convenient to form it separately in the usual manner and to force the sleevethrou h the central aperture in the reinforcing ap or saddle, indicated at 24, so as to bend the marginal (portions of the aperture downwardly aroun the sleeve and flap are then prefera ly vulcanized together. The ortlon of the enclosing sleeve, 10, below t e flap or saddle, is then inserted in the hole, 6, of the bladder, and the adjacent portions of the bladder and the reinforcing flap, 23, are vulcanized together, as shown bestin Fig. 2. v It will thus be seen that the bladder'and the reinforcing sleeve with its attaching disc are vin effect lntegral and are allcomposed of rubber, and that the the sleeve, 10, as shown in Fi 5, and' ing, 7. In this instance t e mold comprises llo metallic valve casing is firmly seated in the enclosing sleeve.

The outer face of the disc, 12, is now brought into contact with the inner face of the cover, so as to bring the valve sleeve, 7, into co-axial relation with the 'a rture, 4, in the cover, and the disc, 12 is directly and permanently secured to the cover in that position, preferably by stitching through the holes, 14, provided inthe disc, 12', for that purpose. `When the disc is so attached,it will be seen that the rubber bladder is secured permanently within thenover, and that it will be held against any tendency to shift with respect to thecover, thus holding the valve casing at all `times in co-axial relation with the inflating aperture, 4. When it is .desired to inflate the. bladder, it is only necnozzle of the air ump, and force air into the bladder until t e desired pressure is obtained. As the bladder distends into con- .tact with the cover, the portions adjacent to the valve will be pressed by the interior air pressure upwardly around the neck, 11,

and into contact with the inner` face of the disc, 12, and the exterior mar nal edges of the disc. As shown in Fi .'1, 1t will thus be seen that when the blad er is inflated, the portions around the valve will tend t o force the cushioning and attachin dise against the rtion ofthe cover imme iately surroundmg the inlating aperture, 4, thus giving a yielding outward pressure against those por- `,tions of the cover which are substantlally equal to the pressure of air Within the entire bladder, and making this portion of the ball as resilient as any other portion. At the same time it will be noted that all the metal parts, including the valve casing and the dust cap, are below the cover, and being embedded 1n the sleeve, are cushioned in all directions, so that there is no possibility of injury to the playersor to the ball from the presence ofA tion in which the outer face of the disc, indicated at 112, is provided with a facing of cloth or other fabric, 112, and the stitch receiving apertures, 114, extend through the disc and also through this reinforcing fabric. This construction may be desirable in some instances to assist in preventing the stitching from pulling out, or cutting the rubber, ,the other parts illustrated in Fig. 7 corresponding with those shown in the other figures are given the same reference numerals with the addition of 100.

Should it become necessary to repair or replace the bladder, it will ordinarily be returned to the manufacturer forthis purpose, although this is not absolutely essential. In

this connection it is to be noted that in repairing or replacing the bladder, the stitches connecting the disc with the leather casing will be cutppermitting the removal of the bladder through lthe usuallaced hand'op'ening where that is provided, which will leave stitch holes in the cover in exact alignment with the stitch receiving holes provided in the disc. In the assembling and vulcanizing together of the various parts of the bladder, the disc will preferably be uniformly.` ositioned with respect to the body of the E der, so that the manufacturer may either reair the bladder removed from a ball, or insert a new one, and in either case by bringing the stitch receiving apertures in the disc into re 'stration with the stitch holes in the cover rom which the cut stitches have been ladremoved, the repaired bladder or the new bladder, as the case may be, can be restitched to the cover through the stitch holes in the disc and the Aoriginal stitch holes in the leather cover, thus securing the replaced or new bladder with the valve in exact axial alignment with the inflating aperture, and also holding the bladder in proper position with respect to the main bodyof the cover. In this way all friction between the bladder and the' seams of the casing, which might otherwise occur and ,cause the bladder to burst whenthe ball is again used, is avoided. It will b e seen that the provision of properly positioned stitch apertures in the attachingl and cushioning disc contributes largely Vto the correct positioning of the bladder with respect to the casing and the inflating aperture therein. f

What I claim and desire' toA secure by Lr'. ters Patent is 1. In an inflatable playing ball, the combination with a cover provided with a minute inflating a erture, of a bladder of rubber provided wlth a rubber valve enclosing sleeve.

aving portions projecting from the'bladdcr and. provided at their outer end' with a laterally extending rubber attaching and cushionling disc, provided with a plurality of stitch receiving apertures and stitched therethrough directly and permanentlyA to the inner face Yof said cover adjacent-the aperture. substantially co-axially with respect to said aperture, and valvel mechanism, including a metallic valve sleeve, secured within said enclosing sleeve and out of contact with the cover.

2. In an inflatable playing ball` the combination with a cover provided with a minute inllating aperture, of a bladder of rubber provided with a rubber valve enclosing sleeve having portions projecting from the bladder and provided at their outer end with a laterally extending rubber attaching and cushioning disc directly and permanently secured to the inner face of the cover adjacent the aperture, substantially co-axially with respect to said aperture, said disc having a recess in its upper face co-axial with said sleeve. and valve mechanism, including a. metallic valve sleeve, secured within said enclosing sleeve and having its upper end terminating adjacent to the bottom of said recess. and a dust cap for said valve sleeve adapted to lie within said recess.

3. In an inflatable playing ball. the combination with a cover provided with va minute inflating aperture, of a bladder of rubber providedwith an integralrubber valve enclos-- ing sleeve having portions projecting outside of the bladder to form a neck and terminating in an integral attaching and cushion- -ing disc provided with'a recess co-axial with the sleeve and having its marginal portions provided with stitch receiving apertures,

said disc being permanently secured by disk said valve having its outer end terminatstitches to the cover adjacent the aperture, in g at the base of sald recess and provided valve mechanism, including a metallic valve with an interiorly threaded pump recelving sleeve, secured Within said enclosure sleeve, portlon. 1

and having its outer end terminating adjacent to the inner end of the recess in said disc.

4. A rubber bladder for inflatable playing balls provided with'a rubber valve enclosing sleeve projecting therefrom to form a neck and terminating in a resilient integral attaching and cushioning disc, said disc being provided with a plurality of stitch receivlng apertures located at a distance from the axis of the sleeve and in predetermined positions with respect to the body of theybladder, an inlating valve carried by said sleeve, an outer cover surrounding the bladder and provided with a minute inflating aperture, and stitches extending through the stitch receiving apertures of the disc adjacent the inilating aperture and stitch apertures in the cover registering therewith, and holding the bladder in proper relation with said cover and the inilating valve in co-axial relation with said inflatl ing aperture, whereby the removal and replacement of a bladder is facilitated.

5. In an inflatable playing ball the. combination with a cover rovided with a minute inlating aperture, o a rubber bladder provided wlth a rubber valve enclosing sleeve and an attaching and cushioning disk on said sleeve exterior to the bladder Wall and provided with a bore co-axial with and of substantially lthe same diameter as the sleeve bore said cushioning disk being permanently and immovably connected to the cover with its bore registering with said inllating aperture anda metallic valve secured within said sleeve and projecting into said cushioning disk and terminating Within said disk and held thereby at a distance from the exterior ofI the surface of the cover so as to prevent interference with the resiliency of the ball.

6. A rubber bladder for iniatable playing balls provided with a rubber valve enclosing sleeve and an attaching and cushioning disk secured on said sleeve exterior to the bladder A wall and provided with a bore co-a-Xial with and of substantially the diameter of the sleeve bore, and a metallic valve secured within said sleeve and projecting into said vdisk and'ter,

minating Within said disk said valve having au interior-ly threaded outer end for the reception of an inilating pump.

7 A rubber bladder for inflatable playing balls provided with a rubber valve enclosing sleeve and an attaching and cushioning disk secured on said sleeve exterior to the bladder wall and provided with a bore co-axial with a n d of substantiallythe diameter of the sleeve bore, and with a recess in the exterior face thereof co-axial with its bore and of greater d diameter, and ametallic valve secured within said sleeve and projecting into the bore of said In testimony xooY 

